Vacuum-cleaner.



U. U. OBLOSSER.

VACUUM CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1912. 1,09 1,383. Patented Mart24, 1914.

, BEETS-SHEET 1.

U. G. OBLOSSER.

VACUUM CLEANER.

APPLIGATION mum nov. 13, 1912.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914' 2 BHBBTBSEEET 2.

Allorney INVENTOR 0*- c .obzoss'ar WzqvE'ssEs 'ULYSSES OBLOSSER, OFBLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OF TWO-Tm 'IO WILL-ROY MONROE, OFBLOOMSBUBG', PENNSYLVANIA.

VACUUM-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914.

Application filed November 13, 1912. Serial No. 731,109,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ULYssEs C. OBLOSSER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bloomsbur in the county of Columbia and State of Fennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVacuum-Cleaners,- of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and has special reference tothe suctlon nozzle for the same, the primary ob ect of the inventionbeing to provide means whereby the nozzle will be effectually attachedto the front end of the main casing and W111 aid in supporting the samebut may be readily detached when cleaning or repairing is necessary.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of bufferto prevent injury to furniture by impact of the suction nozzle againstthe same, and a further object of the invention is to provide novelmeans for loosening the dirt upon the sur face being cleaned.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel support for theloosening brush fitted in the mouth ofthe suction nozzle, and finallythe object of the invention is to improve generally the construction andoperation to the end that the durability and etliciency of the vacuumcleaner may be increased.

In the accompanying drawings, which fully illustrate my invention,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner provided with mypresent improvements; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 3is a bottom plan view of the suction nozzle on a larger scaleyFig. 4 isan enlarged detail end view of the lower portion of the suction nozzle;Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the lower portion of thesuction nozzle, Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the runner orshoe attached to the nozzle. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing amodificat-ion.

The main body or housing 1 may be of any desired form, but is preferablyrectangular, and has a handle 2 attached to its sides near its rear end,so that the device may be conveniently pushed over the floor or carpetto be cleaned. As shown most clearl in Fig. 2, a hood 3 is fitted overthe main body or housing, and the said housing or body 1 is equippedwith a horizontal partition 4, u on the upper side of which is mounted aellows 5 connected by a pitman 6 to a supporting and carr ing wheel 7fitted upon an axle extending between the sides 0 the housing below thesaid platform 4. A box or container 8 is secured to the underside of thepartition 4 in advance of the carrying and driving wheel 7, and this box8 is adapted to receive a dust-receptacle 9 which consists of a textilebag secured to a frame 10 adapted to fit in the open end of the said box8, the partition 4 being provided with an opening 11 covered by a screen12 and communicating with the interior of the bellows. As the housing ispushed over the floor or carpet, the wheel 7 will, of course, berotated, and the pitman 6 will be thereby reciprocated so as to operatethe bellows and, consequently, create suction through the dust-bag andthe box 8, whereby air will be drawn through the open mouth of thedust-bag and will pass through the opening 11 into the bellows, as willbe readily understood. The air will escape from the bellows and pass outfrom the housing through the opening in the platform 4, whichaccommodates the pitman, while the dust contained in the air will becaught and retained by the dustbag 9.

Upon the front side of the body or housing 1 above the platform 4 areforwardly projecting pins, indicated in dotted lines at 13, and thesepins engage recesses in the rearside of the suction nozzle 14. Thesuction nozzle is thus held in cal relation to the body or housing, andit is further constructed with a shoulder or offset 15 on its rear sidenear its lower end which is adapted to fit against the bottom of the box8 and thereby support the front end of the main body or casing. Theweight of the body or casing is thus taken off the pin 13, so that theliability of the said pins to be sheared off in the operation of themachine is minimized.

In order to hold the nozzle close to the front end of the body orcasing, I provide the leaf springs 16 on the front side of the nozzle,and a bail 17 pivoted to the sides of the main bod or casing 1 isadapted to swing downward y over the said leaf springs, so that theresiliency of the springs acting against the bail will effectually holdthe nozzle against the casing. The nozzle is conproper vertistructedwith a passage 18, the lower end of which is expanded and extendsthrough the lower end of the nozzle to constitute a.mouth therefor, andthrough the back of ,the nozzle an opening 19 leads from the saidpassage 18 into the mouth of the dust-bag. To "guard against leakagearound the mouth of the dust-bag, I provide felt or SlIIlllftI. packing20 upon the rear wall of the nozzle which will fit against the frame 10so as to effectually fill the joint or space between the nozzle and thesaid frame and thereby prevent the passage of air therethrough.

A brush 21 is mounted in the mouth of the nozzle and extends from end toend thereof and is preferably in two sections, as shown in Fig. 3, butit will be understood, of course, that a single section entirely fillingthe mouth of the nozzle may be used. This brush is intended to projectthrough the mouth of the nozzle sufficiently to lightly touch thesurface of the floor or carpet so as to loosen the particles of dirt andbreak up the same, so that there will be no liability of the mouth ofthe nozzle or of any other part being clogged by the dirt taken up andthe surface treated will be thoroughly cleaned. It is desirable, ofcourse, that the brush may be easily removed, as some material will tendto adhere thereto and it will be necessary to remove the accumulationwith more or less frequency, and to this end the lower edges of the endwalls of the nozzle are notched, as shown at 22, toreceive the ends ofthe shaft 23 carrying the brush. To retain the brush in its operativeposition in the mouth of the nozzle, a shoe or runner 24 is fitted uponthe lower end of the nozzle, and carries, at its ends on its upper side,lugs or bearing blocks 25 having concave upper ends adapted to fitagainst the ends of the shaft 23 and thereby hold them in the-notches22, as will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 4. Adjacent thesaid lugs or bearing blocks 25, retaining lips or tongues 26 are formedon the edges of the shoe or runner and project upwardly a suflicientdistance to engage the ends of the shaft 23, as clearly shown in Figs. 1and 4, thereby preventing excessive endwise movement of the shaft and,consequently, reducing the wear between the bristles of the brush andthe end walls of the nozzle. The shoe or runner 24 is constructed withan upturned portion 27 of tubular form along its I rear edge whichoonstitutespart of a hinged connection between the shoe and the nozzle,

as shown at 28, the remaining or connecting members of the hinge beingsecured to the rear wall of the nozzle near the lower end thereof andheld in position, relative to the up-turned portion 27, by a pintleinserted through the alined members, as will be readily understood.

The shoe or runner is provided with a longitudinal slot 29, and alongthe front and rear ed es of the said slot are upstanding lips or anges30 which fit close to the brush, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, sothat the suction through the nozzle must pass through the brush and,consequently, the larger pieces of paper and long hairs and similarsub-' stances will be caught and retained by the brush until they havecleared the lips and they cannot fly from the mouth of the nozzle. Thefront portion of the shoe or runner extends upwardly in advance of thenozzle and is equipped at its upper extremity or edge with hooks 31adapted to engage over a rib or ledge 32 formed on the front side of thenozzle and thereby retain the shoe against the lower end of the nozzle,as shown. A felt or similar lining 33 will preferably be providedbetween the shoe and the lower surface of the nozzle, so as to preventcurrents of air creeping between the shoe and the nozzle without passingthrough the slot 29 and then through the brush.

Between its bottom portion and its extreme upper end, the front portionof the runner is formed into a substantially dovetailed groove 34, inwhich is fitted a buffer of felt or similar material, as shown at 35.The shoe, it will be understood, is preferably constructed of springmetal throughout, so that it may be readily swung around the end of thenozzle, and the resiliency of the material will serve to clamp thebuffer within the said dove-tail groove 34, so that the said buffer willbe effectually secured.

It is thought the operation and the many advantages of my improveddevice will be readily understood from the foregoing description, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, without further specificmention thereof. As the device is pushed over the floor or surface tobecleaned, the bellows will be operated as before stated, and a suctioncreated through the nozzle and the brush in the mouth of the same, sothat the dust laden air drawn in through the fibers of the carpet orbetween the shoe and the floor will pass through the nozzle into thedustbag and the air freed of dust drawn through and discharged from thebellows, as before described.

When it is desired to clean the brush, it is not necessary to remove thenozzle from the main body of the cleaner but the shoe is released bydisengaging the hooks 31 from the rib 32 and then swinging the shoeabout its hinged connection with the nozzle, so that it will swing awayfrom and in rear of the of the engagement of the hooks 31 with the rib32-. Then it is necessary to remove the nozzle so as to remove thefilled dust-bag, the bail 17 is swung upwardly and the nozzle is theneasily withdrawn from the front end of the main body.

In Fig. 7, I have shown a modified arrangement in which the shoe 36 issecured to the front and rear walls of the nozzle by thumb screws 37 sothat it may be readily detached when necessary and the buffer 38 issecured directly to the front wall of the nozzle above the shoe by anyconvenient fastenings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination witha suction nozzle, of a brush arranged in the mouth of the nozzle andhaving the ends of its shaft extending into the end walls of the nozzle,a shoe fitted to the nozzle and extending across the bottom thereof,bearings on the shoe to receive the ends of the brush shaft, andretainers rising from the shoe adjacent said bearings to engage the endsof said shaft.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination with a suction nozzle, of abrush disposed in and substantially filling the mouth of the nozzle andhaving the ends of its shaft fitted in the end walls of the nozzle, ashoe fitted to the nozzle and extending across the lower end thereof,bearings on said shoe supporting the ends of the brush shaft, andretainers on the shoe adjacent said bearings projecting across the endsof the shaft.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a suction nozzle, a brushmounted in and substantially filling the mouth of the nozzle, a shoeextending across the entire lower end of the nozzle and having alongitudinal slot to receive the brush, bearing blocks on the shoeadjacent the ends of the slot to receive the shaft of the brush, andretainers rising from the ends of the shoe adjacent said bearing blocksto engage the ends of the shaft of the brush.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a suction nozzle provided onits front wall above its lower end with an upstanding rib, a brushmounted in and substantially filling the mouth of the nozzle, a hingemember fixed on the rear wall of the nozzle, a shoe ositively connectedat its rear edge with said hinge member and extending across the entire.lower end of the nozzle and having its forward portion projectedupwardly in front of the nozzle and provided at its free edge with hooksadapted to engage over the said rib, and means on the shoe forsupporting and retaining the brush.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ULYSSES C. OBLOSSER. L.S.]

\Vitnesses:

R. C. Doory, FRANK BAKER.

